Rare rum found in Sussex man’s cupboard is sold for £12,000

A wine collector who inherited 11 bottles of rum from his late father has more reason than most to say ‘cheers.’
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Charles Metcalfe kept the rum in a cupboard for years after his father died but ended up making almost £12,000 when he finally decided to sell it.

And Charles - from Balcombe - is likely to make even more money as he still has another bottle to sell.

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The 11 bottles of Lemon Hart rum, bottled in the 1940s, were saved by Charles’s father as a souvenir from his time spent working with Lemon Hart & Sons in 1946-48, following his return from a prisoner of war camp where he was held during the Second World War.

Charles Metcalfe with the bottles of rum he inherited from his late father SUS-200220-161646001Charles Metcalfe with the bottles of rum he inherited from his late father SUS-200220-161646001
Charles Metcalfe with the bottles of rum he inherited from his late father SUS-200220-161646001

But the rum collection sat in a cupboard for several years after Charles’ father died before Charles decided to have the bottles valued by a specialist team at www.whisky.auction.

Charles said: “As a wine collector, I’m well aware of the value that old wine can fetch at auction, but I hadn’t imagined that my father’s rum would be worth quite so much.

“Each bottle has sold for around £1,000 – some as high as £1,450 - in Whisky.Auction’s online auctions since September, which shows how valuable a quick look into the back of your spirits cupboard can be.

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“We’ve almost sold the full collection now – the last bottle goes live in the auction next month.”

Lemon Hart rum is a famous British brand with a long history and is best known for its appointment by the Admiralty as supplier of rum to the British Royal Navy in the late 18th century.

Its rums are produced in the Demorara region of Guyana - or British Guiana - in the 1940s when these particular bottles were produced.

The rum is said to have a rich and smooth character typical of rums from that region.

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Auction director Isabel Graham-Yooll said: “We chose to spread the sale of Charles’s bottles across several months to ensure that all of the rum collectors across the globe would have the chance to bid on a bottle.

“Interest in rum is continuing to grow around the world, and that’s been reflected in the interest we’ve received from buyers looking for old and rare rum bottles at Whisky.Auction over the last year.”

The final bottle from Charles’s collection will go on sale via Whisky.Auction on March 1.

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